Ace Attorney Meets Fire Emblem
by pyrosaurus X
Summary: After a severe lightning storm wracks Los Angeles, Phoenix Wright and friends are transported to a strange world they've never seen before...and wearing strange outfits too! Not only do they have to figure out how to return home, they must also fight off armies of Risen and bandits along the way. It won't be easy and death is permanent in this game! Rated T. MARRIAGE INCLUDED!
1. Where Are We?

"Noooo! You let Mr. Nick die! Now you have to start all over!" came the disappointed whine from Pearl. She, Trucy, and Maya were currently huddled around each other in the Wright Anything Agency and playing a game Trucy had just gotten for her 3DS: Fire Emblem Awakening.

Maya sighed. "It would be easier if you would let Nick partner up with Cordelia."

"No! Then they'll fall in love! I won't allow Mr. Nick to have another special someone, even in a video game!"

"But then we won't be able to unlock Morgan!" Trucy pointed out. "We need Morgan!"

Phoenix was currently sitting at his desk trying to file some paperwork for a previous case as he overheard the girls chattering. Of course, all he picked up on was "Mr. Nick" and "die" before his mind decided to cut everything off there. Just what kind of game were those three girls playing? He could hear the muffled chuckling of his two coworkers from across the room. No doubt they were laughing at him. His cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

"Don't you two have work that needs to be done?" He asked, a little irritated.

"Just finished it, boss!" Athena proclaimed, flashing the peace sign.

"In that case, you can go home for the day." Phoenix paused as he took a moment to recollect himself, taking a quick glance out the window. The skies were turning a heavy gray with clouds. "You might wanna hurry too. It looks like it's about to rain."

"We will." Apollo said as he gathered his papers up. "But first I want to see what game your daughter is playing."

"Fire Emblem Awakening." Trucy answered with a smile on her face. "It's so much fun."

"Why, pray tell, am I suddenly in the game?" Phoenix couldn't help asking, earning another not-so-discreet chuckle from Athena and Apollo.

"You make your own character at the beginning." Maya responded, not taking her eyes off the screen. "We decided to make one after you!"

"I really appreciate it…" Phoenix muttered sarcastically. "By the way, what do you mean that I 'died?'" He was almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Well, you fight with actual enemies. Whenever you get hit, you take damage to your health."

"When the health reaches zero, then that person is gone forever." Trucy added on. "But since you're an important character in the plotline, the game has to reset."

"Trucy, the battery died." Pearl called out. "Do you have your charger?"

"Well, that's certainly interesting." Athena smirked. "I definitely know what game I'm buying the next time I go to the mall."

"I may actually get a 3DS just to play that game." Apollo commented, just as mischievous as Athena.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. "If either of you make me the main character, then I will play 'Edgeworth' and dock both of your salaries."

Suddenly, the office lit up with a bright flash of lightning before a loud clap of thunder sounded immediately afterward. The lights flickered a bit as if threatening to shut off, but then the whole event was over and done with in a few seconds. Everyone flinched, but the shock didn't last long.

"It's starting to get really bad out there." Phoenix commented. "Come on, let's all go—"

Another bolt of white lightning once again flashed across the sky, but this time a rather large boom was heard, too loud to be thunder. Pearl and Trucy screamed at the sudden noise, Athena and Apollo were suddenly holding onto each other like frightened kids, and Phoenix and Maya flinched as every light in the office was blown out of its circuit, sending small sparks of electricity raining down. It wasn't over yet. Lightning was flashing more frequently by the second, the winds were picking up speed, and the rain drops fell harder than ever. Another bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky, with a loud thrash of thunder echoing throughout the land. Just like that, the office was empty as if every living soul in the room had vanished into thin air.

* * *

The first thing Phoenix noticed when he finally willed his eyes open was that his head was hurting tremendously, and he was lying in a field of some sorts. Channeling all of his strength into his limbs, he forced himself into a sitting position so that he could take in all of his surroundings. The sun was shining, and there were just miles and miles of wide open grass plains. He hadn't the faintest idea where he was, except that he knew for a fact he wasn't at the Wright Anything Agency anymore.

"Just what is this place?" He murmured softly to himself.

His attorney instincts began to take over as he decided that the best course of action for now was to investigate. When he rose up to his feet, he felt a heavy weight on his body. He nearly shouted out when he looked down and saw his attire. No longer was he wearing his blue suit or any of his other clothes he had on. He was now wearing a dark blue shirt with the sleeves cut off and chain mail on top. His dress pants and shoes had been switched to leather brown pants and black boots. Most of the heaviness was at his waist area, where a belt was tied around his pants and a sheathed sword was strapped on to him. The last article of his strange clothing was a cape that was draped around his shoulders and billowed in the wind behind him. He had to admit, despite how awkward this whole situation was, the cape was pretty awesome.

"Boss!" Someone shouted from a distance. "Boss!"

It wasn't the shouting that caught his attention though. When Phoenix turned around, he saw his two coworkers, Apollo and Athena, riding- yes, riding- up to him on horses. Both of them looked extremely uncomfortable to be up there, but they seemed to have ridden the horses with ease. Both of them dismounted, and ran towards him, alarmed expressions on their faces. If Phoenix thought he looked ridiculous, he obviously hadn't seen his apprentices yet. Apollo and Athena were both wearing identically fashioned pants, boots, and armor pieces that were incredibly bulky on both of their frames. Apollo was in red, and Athena's armor was green. Both of them sported hips guards each with a sword attached to their belts, much like Phoenix's. If they were in their comfy, little office in Los Angeles, they would just be sniggering at how strange they looked. But at this moment, all they could do is stare in shock at each other, wondering just what the hell was going on.

"I…" Athena started, just barely. "I guess none of you know where we are."

Apollo and Phoenix shook their heads. Suddenly, Phoenix realized that something was rather off about all of this, and it wasn't the change in scenery or change of clothing. "Where's Trucy? Or Pearls and Maya?"

"I don't know." Apollo answered, obviously shaken. "They weren't near us when we got here…somehow."

Phoenix let out a long sigh as he buried his face in his palms. "Great. I'm in an unknown place, wearing strange clothing, and my daughter and two of my friends are missing. Just great."

Athena looked at him sadly, sensing the discord in his heart. It was rather deafening. "I wonder how we're going to get home."

"If we can get home." Apollo muttered. "I don't even know if this is the same universe anymore."

The three lawyers sat down in the fields next to each other as a painful silence loomed over them. So many mind-numbing questions swirled around in their heads at once, and for Athena, the discord in her friends was causing a migraine to come on. The worst part of it all was that the three of them had absolutely no plan of action as to what to do next. They had nothing, no map, no resources, no anything to guide them through these mysterious lands. Suddenly, the frightened whinnies of Apollo's and Athena's horses caused the three of them to snap out of their fazed states. The two equines were pawing the ground, as if trying to alert their masters of something dangerous.

"What's going on?" Athena probably asked herself that question for the umpteenth time that day.

Soon, there came a strong rumbling in the earth as the ground was slowly beginning to crack open.

"E-Earthquake!" Apollo shouted.

But it wasn't an earthquake. The trembling stopped within a few seconds, but that was when strange creatures started to emerge from the ground. Their skin was purple and their eyes were red, all of them carrying weapons and smoking from their mouths.

"What on earth…" Phoenix could hardly speak.

The creatures growled as they set their sights on the three attorneys, approaching them in a menacing way. Athena shrieked as she and Apollo were huddling closer together for protection. The creatures were moving rather slow, but that didn't alleviate the fear the three of them had in that moment. One of them shot an arrow out, which would have hit Phoenix if the angle were a bit higher; it embedded itself in the ground beneath his feet.

"They want to kill us!" Apollo exclaimed. "But why?"

"We never did anything bad to them!" Athena screamed.

Phoenix could only watch as the creatures drew closer. Soon, their menacing walk transformed into a full-out sprint as they drew their weapons and prepared to attack them.

"Run!" It was the only thing Phoenix could think of. Apollo and Athena had no objections (for once) as they saddled onto their horses and began to retreat. Phoenix was slower than they were at getting away, no doubt the enemies were going to lunge at him first. That was when a realization came to him.

"Wait…I have a weapon!" Phoenix yelled. "I can fight back!"

He had never used a weapon, let alone a sword, before in his life, but he supposed that there was a first time for everything. Against his better judgment, he stopped in his tracks and waited for an enemy to approach him. A creature with an axe decided to engage him in a fight, and that was when Phoenix sprang into action. The sword was heavy, but he ignored it as he swung it rather awkwardly at the creature. His blow successfully connected with the creature's abdomen, and it roared a pain-filled screech when it was wounded. Phoenix grinned victoriously, but it was short-lived when the creature recovered and attacked Phoenix in retaliation. He was not expecting this, and ended up being wounded on his shoulder. He could already feel the sting as blood began oozing from the wound.

"Boss!" Athena shouted, scared.

Something snapped inside of Phoenix when he was attacked. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel his blood boiling and his adrenaline pumping as he picked his sword up again, now oblivious to the pain. With a battle cry, he ran full speed towards the creature and stabbed it right through the chest. The creature screeched and gurgled as it crumpled into a lifeless heap on the ground before vanishing in a cloud of smoke. Phoenix had won that scuffle. He was tired and sweaty, but at the same time he felt a little bit stronger and more confident.

"Athena, Apollo! We have to fight back!" Phoenix commanded. "We have no other choice."

Apollo and Athena looked unsure of themselves, but nodded in agreement as they raced back on their horses, ready to fight.

"This is for wounding my boss!" Apollo declared as he drew a lance from his saddle pack, and struck at an axe-wielding enemy. Much to his chagrin, the monster dodged Apollo's attack with ease, and was about to attack him when Athena suddenly cut in.

"I won't let you hurt my partner!" Athena shouted as she intercepted the blow. The axe only grazed her hip, which was fortunately protected by her armor, so there was no damage done. Feeling rather hyped from the battle, Athena charged her horse towards her opponent and stabbed it in the shoulder with her sword.

"Apollo, try something else!" Phoenix suggested as he ran to fight off another enemy.

Muttering incoherently to himself, Apollo sheathed his lance and drew his sword. Luckily, Athena's blow was enough to weaken the monster a considerable amount, and he killed the disgusting thing in one blow. As it dissolved into a puff of smoke, Athena came riding up next to him.

"Good job, Apollo!" She clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Nice teamwork, there."

Apollo had other pressing issues on his mind. "Are you alright? You took that blow for me."

"Ah, please. It was merely a dent in my armor. I'm still breathing, aren't I?"

Apollo laughed for the first time that day. Maybe this battle was, strangely, exactly what they needed to take their minds off their current circumstances. All that mattered was that they were trying to stay alive. The two of them felt more rejuvenated than ever and went to join their boss in the fight against these monsters. Phoenix felt himself getting stronger with every enemy he was defeating, and Apollo and Athena were getting used to their horses and taking turns attacking and slaying creatures. Soon, all of them figured out when they were going to be attacked and were able to dodge, and knew what weapons worked against which enemies. There was one problem that stood in their path. The more they fought, the more wounds they were receiving from having not dodged fast enough. Phoenix, in addition to the one on his shoulder, was cut on his arms, his legs, and his cheek. Apollo took a rather serious blow to his knee, and Athena sustained one on her waist unprotected by her armor. They were quickly becoming tired from blood lost, and they knew they had to treat their wounds, but with what?"

"Ahhh!" Phoenix yelped when an enemy stabbed its sword into his abdomen. It didn't puncture any organs, but it was enough to draw a lot of blood from him. Apollo came by on his horse and felled the enemy immediately.

"That looks really bad." Apollo said with concern as he examined his superior. "You should stop fighting."

"We're still outnumbered though." Phoenix seethed in pain. "But…it's getting harder to hold my sword now."

"Hey, Boss!" Athena came over towards the two of them, brandishing a small bottle. "I found this in my pack. I drank some of it, and the wound on my waist is gone. I think it's some healing concoction."

"Mr. Wright needs some right now." Apollo told her as he received the bottle from her.

"There's not much so try to make it last." Athena warned him.

Phoenix nodded as he uncorked the bottle and drank some. It tasted strong and bitter, but as Athena had described, his wound immediately healed, only partially.

"That should be enough. I feel better now." Phoenix tried to reassure his coworkers. In actuality, he didn't want to taste anymore of the disgusting medicine.

"You should have some too, Apollo." Athena threw him the bottle.

Apollo looked at it skeptically before downing the rest of its contents. He grimaced from the flavor, but at least his knee injury disappeared.

"It's empty." Apollo announced when he finished it. "We'll have to be more careful from here on out."

"There's not that many of those creatures left." Phoenix observed. "There's only two more."

"Well, no use in just standing here. Let's go!" Athena proclaimed as she rushed into battle again, Phoenix and Apollo trying desperately to catch up before she did anything reckless on her own. Apollo was more quick on his horse than Phoenix was on foot, so he caught up to her faster and helped her take down the enemy. However, Athena was having none of that. She raised her sword in the air, her steed standings on its hind legs, and shouted, "Take that!" before charging her opponent head-on. Her lance went right through its heart, and it died instantly from the critical hit. Apollo could only look at her, stunned at her tremendous feat. She chuckled as she flashed the peace sign.

"One more." Phoenix muttered to himself. This creature was different from the others. It was larger, had an axe forged of steel, and bellowed an angry growl when Phoenix approached. It was unnerving, but Phoenix swallowed his fear and raised his sword. He slashed the enemy's chest, but it barely left a scratch on it. The beast in turn roared again and swung his axe fiercely at the young attorney. The blade dug into his abdomen, re-opening the wound and making it bleed worse than it was before. Phoenix shouted out in pain.

"Mr. Wright!" Apollo called out. He stopped a few paces away from the beast when it set its eyes onto him. Unexpectedly, it reared its arm back and flung its axe at Apollo. Apollo was unprepared for this sort of attack and the axe struck his right arm, deeply cutting it open before bouncing back into its owner's hand. Apollo let out a pained cry as he dropped his sword, holding his now-bloodied arm. Athena looked at her two friends in horror, and was not about to let them be killed. Now it was her turn to deal with this creep. She let out a war cry as she drew her sword up, and brought it down fiercely onto the monster. It left a nasty wound on its chest, but that didn't stop it from returning the blow. It swung the axe with as much fervor it could muster, and if Athena hadn't steered her horse out of the way in time, no doubt the axe would be lodged in her skull by now. Instead, the blade cracked through her armor, and slashed open the skin on her thigh, barely missing the femoral artery. Athena gasped in shock and pain when the blood started to pour out. The beast looked pleased with its handiwork as he moved to Phoenix again. Phoenix was lying on the ground, unable to move.

"Boss! Get up!" Athena and Apollo shouted.

Phoenix looked to see the beast towering over him, the axe raised above its head in an execution-styled pose. Phoenix had half a mind to immediately roll out of the way just as it brought the blade down that could've potentially cut him in half. He was lucky; if he didn't hear his friends' shouts, he would have been done for. Phoenix rose onto shaky legs, attempting another strike at the monster, but ended up missing and fell onto the ground again. Apollo and Athena watched as the beast roared to the heavens. A small glow surrounded it as it continued to bellow at the skies. Once the glow vanished from the monster, all of the injuries it had sustained thus far were healed.

"No! It just recovered itself!" Athena shouted with disdain.

"As if we barely did any damage to it before. Dammit!" Apollo swore to himself.

Phoenix could only lie on the ground, feeling defeated. This was it. The beast was stronger and they weren't. All of them were critically injured and had no medicine to recover themselves. They were going to die. And in such a strange place…would anyone know of their demise? Or would they be forgotten? Phoenix could practically feel the beast standing over him, axe in hand, ready to finish him off for good. He closed his eyes, waiting for death to take him…

"My turn!" came a voice.

Phoenix, Apollo, Athena, and even the beast looked up to see where that voice had come from. Suddenly, a ball of flame came out of nowhere, blasting the beast squarely in the chest. It hollered loudly in pain as the fire scorched its skin, turning the ghastly purple into a sick black. The beast seemed to find where its attacker was and hurled its weapon at a tree. Someone jumped out from behind to dodge the attack, but no one could identify who it was because the person was wearing a hood. The person opened a book, and began to chant as another ball of fire was formed in the air. With a fling of the hand, the ball of fire was sent flying through the air, hitting the beast again. The attack was enough to bring it to its knees, and Phoenix saw the perfect opportunity to end it. With one final swing of his sword, the blade pierced the beast's torched skin, and killed it instantaneously. The beast made one more howl before dissolving into smoke. Phoenix panted heavily as he realized it was all over.

"Boss!" Athena cried as she and Apollo dismounted. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." Phoenix stated calmly, but his heart was still pounding. "Who is that over there?"

The three of them turned to see the hooded figure making their way towards them. When they pulled the hood up to reveal who they were, Phoenix nearly flipped out in surprise and relief.

"Trucy!" The three of them shouted. The young magician smiled as she ran towards them. Her clothes weren't all that strange, just a full-body robe that went down to her knees, and her hood.

"Hey you guys!" Trucy giggled. "Wow, you all look awesome!"

"We're bloody and sweaty, and you think we look awesome?!" Apollo exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hehe, well I mean, look at you: you're wearing fancy armor and all that. Ooh, and Daddy's clothing is really dignified too." Trucy tugged on his cape. Phoenix pulled his daughter in for a hug.

"Trucy, I'm so glad you're safe." He sighed. Whatever fears he had about this place reduced somewhat at seeing his daughter safe and sound. That was all that mattered to him for the moment.

"Me too." Trucy kissed her father before pulling away. "I was a little scared when I was separated from you guys, but I'm glad I found you again."

"Um, Trucy…you didn't happen to see Maya or Pearls did you?"

Trucy frowned as she shook her head. "No…they're nowhere in sight. I tried looking for them, but no such luck."

Everyone hung their heads low. Then Trucy spoke up again in her usual, cheerful voice.

"But I have good news!" She said with hope. "I would have gotten here sooner, but I ran into a few friends along the way."

She stuck two fingers into her mouth and whistled, the sound echoing across the land. Phoenix squinted his eyes as he could see a few people in the distance, but couldn't make out exactly who they were. Then suddenly, Athena gasped loudly and rushed forward with cries of "Junie!"

Sure enough, as the figures got closer everyone was able to make out who they were. Juniper Woods was in a long white robe with a hood and she carried a staff with a stone set in the middle. Dick Gumshoe was clad in armor from head to toe, and it was even more bulky than Athena's and Apollo's. Robin Newman had on a simple tunic and pants and was carrying a sword while Hugh O'Conner was decked out in a similar fashion, although there was armor protecting his chest and he had a pack of arrows slung over his shoulder as he carried a quiver. The last person of the group was the judge himself, who was wearing black armor similar to Athena and Apollo's and riding a white horse. Juniper ran forward as Athena jumped into her arms for an embrace, and the burdens of the group's hearts seemed to have alleviated at the sight of some familiar faces.

"Junie, I can't believe you're here too!" Athena practically cried.

"I…can't believe it either…" Juniper grunted as she felt her lungs being crushed by Athena's strength. When they pulled away, the young girl gaped in horror at the condition Athena was in. "Oh my gosh! Thena, you're covered in blood! Let me fix that."

Before Athena could say anything, Juniper hovered her staff over Athena's body and closed her eyes. A soft glow emanated from the stone as tiny beams of light danced across the injury. Athena winced as the magic burned a little bit, but it was soon over and her wound was gone. Not to mention, she felt stronger than ever.

"There. All done." Juniper said.

"W-Wow, Junie…" Athena poked at her skin, amazed at what just happened. "How did you even do that?"

"Juniper, will you mind helping me next please?" Apollo asked as he showed her his arm. Juniper blinked in surprise.

"Oh! Uh, sure Apollo…" She blushed as she healed him in the same way she did Athena.

"It's the weirdest thing, pal." Gumshoe started talking. "I mean, I was just about to put some noodles in the microwave when the power goes out. I thought it was just the city shutting off my power again, so I didn't think anything of it. Then there's this huge explosion from a telephone pole, and I wake up here, dressed in this outfit!" He rubbed his forehead as if relaying the facts was painful for him. "I'm telling you, pal, it's the weirdest thing…"

"The power went out in my house, and right as I flipped the switch on the fuse box, I wound up here too!" The judge added. "Oh no, what if this whole thing is my fault?"

"I highly doubt that, Your Honor." Phoenix sighed as Juniper started to heal him too. "Did any of you encounter any strange creatures while you were here?"

"Not necessarily." Hugh spoke up. "Robin and I were just wandering around lost until we found Juniper. Then we walked around until we ran into these two…" He gestured to the judge and Gumshoe. "Then your little girl found us and…now we're all here."

"IT'S SO CRAZY MAAAAN!" Robin bellowed at an unnecessary high volume, but then calmed herself down. "But at least we're all here, T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R. You know what I M-E-A-N?"

"It is definitely refreshing to see some more familiar faces." Athena agreed.

"There's just one thing I'd like to know." Apollo said. "Does anyone know just where in the _hell _are we?"

No one said anything. All of them were just in the dark about this situation as the next person there. Trucy, however, did slightly raise her hand as if she wanted to add her two cents into the conversation.

"I think…" She gulped. "I think we're in Fire Emblem."

* * *

**PX: My first crossover fic ever! This is kind of experimental and not one of my priorities, so I cannot say when the next chapter will be. Why did I even write this? I don't know either. What I do know is that I wouldn't mind seeing this crossover happen anytime soon (fat chance!). Hope you enjoyed and reviews are welcome!**


	2. Kill or Be Killed

Everyone just stared blankly at what Trucy had just said, unable to believe it. Fire Emblem was a video game. How in the world would they go from living in the real world to a fantasy land composed of computer graphics and pixels?

"Trucy, that's impossible." Apollo said. "This is real and actually happening. There's no way this can be a video game."

"Oh yeah? Well then I'd like to hear _your _explanation for it." Trucy stuck her tongue out at the junior attorney.

"Trucy," Phoenix cut it before an argument could ensue. "Can you play lawyer for a second and provide some evidence as to why you believe we are in your video game?"

"Hey, that's my line!" The judge exclaimed.

Trucy crossed her arms as she glanced upwards, wracking her brain for some clues that would back up her theory. "Well…we're all wearing similar outfits like the ones the characters wear in the game."

Everyone groaned. Apparently, a sudden change in fashion wasn't strong enough to convince them.

"Anything else?" Phoenix prompted her.

Trucy looked like she was struggling to come up with another compelling explanation. That was when something clicked inside of her mind and she snapped her fingers in realization. "Got it! Those zombies you attacked earlier…they're called Risen! They're exactly the same ones you fight against in Fire Emblem."

"She's got a point." Hugh said. "I myself have played Fire Emblem Awakening. We ran into a few strange creatures ourselves along the way, and they definitely looked like the Risen you would see in the game."

"And there's no way you'd come across a Risen in the real world, won't you?" Trucy smirked, proud of herself.

"That does make sense." Athena flicked her earring, which fortunately remained the same in this world. "And…Junie just healed me with pure magic. That's something you definitely don't see everyday. Not to mention, Trucy can conjure up a ball of fire out of thin air…"

"Even as a magician, I have never seen her do that one before." Phoenix added.

"The girl has made a valid statement." The judge agreed.

"Objection!" Apollo shouted with his Chords of Steel kicking in. Everyone shushed him as to remind him that he was currently not in court. He rolled his eyes and continued, "Well, let's say for a minute that we are actually in the Fire Emblem world."

"That's what we've been saying for the past couple of minutes, pal!" Gumshoe interjected, but Apollo ignored him.

"If that truly is the case…then how did we get here? Were we all just stuffed inside Trucy's 3DS, or did someone turn us into a bunch of computer codes and generated them into the game?"

Nobody was able to respond to this. Both of his suggestions were grossly far-fetched, but so was the idea that all of them were suddenly in a video game. Robin grasped the sides of her head.

"Man, all of this science mumbo jumbo is making my head hurt." She whined.

"We could be in a world similar to Fire Emblem." Juniper spoke up.

Apollo was quick to reject that idea. "But my question still stands. Even if we are in the game, or at least in a world similar to it, then how did we get here?"

"I think that's a question we have to find the answer for." Phoenix said. "But considering that we just encountered those mutant creatures- which we just stated were Risen- out of nowhere, Juniper can heal people with magic, Trucy can summon _fire_, and the strange clothing too I suppose…it's safe to say that this isn't Los Angeles…or the real world for that matter."

"A cross over to another dimension…" Gumshoe thought aloud. He grimaced. "Ugh, just the thought of it is making my head spin…or maybe that's because I haven't eaten my noodles yet."

Apollo sighed. He really hated being in the dark about all of this. He wasn't as concerned about being in a different world as much as he was trying to find an explanation for it. This was going to bother him for a lot of nights for sure.

"It's getting dark." Athena indicated towards the descending sun. "I don't suppose we should set up camp?"

The others nodded their heads in agreement. It wouldn't be safe wandering in a strange land at night, and they were already lost enough. Through a unanimous decision, everyone chose to just make the place they were currently standing at the campsite, and they took off all of their armor to mark where it was. A small forest was not too far from where they were, so a group consisting of Hugh, Robin, the judge, and Gumshoe went there to hunt. Athena went with Juniper into the fields to find wild berries and edible flowers. Apollo and Phoenix wandered a little ways away to go find water while Trucy stayed behind to collect twigs and dry leaves to build a fire. By the time the sun disappeared completely below the horizon, everyone returned back to camp. Trucy, using her newfound abilities, successfully started the bonfire with a spell her tome. Athena blinked in surprise when she saw what the hunting group was dragging back to their tiny camp.

"Is that a bear?" She asked. Juniper covered her mouth in surprise.

"It just came out of nowhere and started to attack me!" Gumshoe angrily yelled.

"Put up quite a fight too." The judge exhaled as he wiped perspiration from his brow. "And well…I'm quite horrible with a lance."

"Why did you bring it back? Please tell me that's not what we're eating tonight…" Phoenix winced.

"This was all we could find. Robin refused to kill anything that looked 'cute.'" Hugh tsked. Robin punched his shoulder.

"Those rabbits and squirrels never did anything to you!" She retorted. "Besides, the bear will be enough."

"I didn't even know you could eat bear." Trucy said. Though the people in Fire Emblem did…then again, they _were_ in Fire Emblem.

"W-Well, we found some blackberries and wild mushrooms." Juniper motioned to her pile of harvests.

"And I caught a few fish." Apollo muttered as he pulled up his shield that he used as a basin. He didn't bother to tell anyone that as he was trying to collect water with Phoenix, some trout suddenly decided to swim into his shirt.

The rest of the evening was spent cooking the animal meat and having casual conversations to divert their attention away from their circumstances. Everyone tried to make the situation seem like this was just an ordinary hiking trip in strange, medieval attire though Phoenix was sure the judge was the last person he would probably ask to go camping with. The bear meat was dry and thick, with almost no flavor whatsoever, and the strong taste of the trout was a little hard to overcome. At least the blackberries were not too sour, and the mushrooms were safe to eat. The water Phoenix gathered in the shields was boiling to kill the bacteria, so everyone had to wait before they could have a refreshing sip to rehydrate. After dinner, everyone went off to do their own thing. Trucy wanted to try out her new magic abilities, but was instructed by her father not to waste it all. Athena and Apollo decided to spar a little ways away with Juniper and Gumshoe watching and cheering them on. The judge was busy giving Robin and Hugh advice for their futures in law. Probably the first time that day, everyone was truly enjoying themselves despite the troubling thoughts in the back of their minds. Soon, it was getting later in the night, and the events that transpired from that day began to take a toll on each of them until they were barely staying awake.

"We better get some sleep." Phoenix advised everyone. "Something tells me we have a long day tomorrow."

"What are we gonna do, pal?" Gumshoe asked sleepily as he laid on his side.

Phoenix shook his head. "That's what I'm still trying to figure out, Gumshoe…"

"I don't know if I'll be getting any sleep tonight." Apollo complained as he rubbed his back. He was rather sore from that sparring session, and Athena knocked him onto his behind more times than he'd prefer to remember.

"Oh quit your whining, Apollo." Athena said. "No pain no gain."

Robin stretched out her limbs as she let out a long yawn. "Goodnight, everyone!"

There were a few murmurs of "goodnight" traded back and forth before the whole camp fell silent as everyone tried to go to sleep. However, Phoenix still remained wide awake as ever as he stared into the darkness of the world ahead of him.

"Maya…Pearls…" He prayed that wherever they were, that they were safe and that they wouldn't run into any of those strange creatures along the way. Yet deep down, he still couldn't help but worry for them. In a world so vast, where could they possibly be?

After a few minutes of trying but failing to get some sleep- it didn't help that Gumshoe was snoring away right next to him- Phoenix got up to take a drink of the water that had cooled down. It tasted weird in the shield, but at least it was water. Something caught his eye, and he turned to see the judge sitting upright, looking rather deep in thought. Without hesitation, Phoenix went right over and sat next to the older man.

"Too many thoughts, Your Honor?" He inquired.

The judge sighed. "Yes…too many indeed. But there's one that is more troubling than the others…"

"And that is?"

"My family...especially my grandchildren. They're only in their elementary school years."

"Are they here too?"

"I do not know. That is what's troubling me."

Phoenix didn't bother to respond. He never thought he'd say it, but he could really sympathize with the judge on this one. All of this was so strange, not to mention very scary, especially when all you could do in that moment was wonder where your loved ones were, and if they were safe or not. There was a soft rustling of leaves as a small wind blew through the lands. Phoenix looked up and saw clouds rolling in across the skies. Maybe it was going to rain?

"Ah, if only I could remember those days where I was a lowly boy scout." The judge chuckled. "We could have blankets and a roof to sleep under by now."

Phoenix smiled. "What rank were you?"

"Made it all the way to an eagle scout. Whenever we were on a camping trip, I was the one who made all the decisions."

"Seems like that gave you an edge for your career."

"Heh, it did. Everyone on my team called me 'The Judge of Nature.' In fact, there was this one time–"

The man abruptly stopped talking when he heard a rustling coming from a nearby bush. "Did you hear that, Mr. Wright?"

Phoenix said nothing as he waited for that sound to come back again. He did hear a rustle, and it couldn't have been from the wind blowing across the trees either. Cautiously, he got up and went over to pick up his sword while the judge scanned the area for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a loud moan rang out from the bushes in the distance. Phoenix jumped in surprise as he tried to stifle a scream.

"Mr. Wright!" The Judge shouted.

"Yeah, I heard it." Phoenix narrowed his eyes in the direction of the bush. "I think it came over there."

Without hesitation, Phoenix stalked over to it, gripping his trusty weapon ever so tightly. Whatever it was, he certainly hoped it wasn't a wild animal or another one of those Risen things again. Right when Phoenix leaned over the bush, something lunged up right at him, catching him by surprise.

"AAAAHHHH!" This time, Phoenix did scream, startling the whole camp into waking up.

"Daddy?!" Trucy called out, looking around frantically for her father.

The judge sprinted from his position and grabbed a lance. "Don't worry, Mr. Wright! I'll get it!"

"Wait, wait!" Phoenix called out. After a few seconds of terror rushing through his system, he realized he wasn't being attacked. He was being hugged. But by who…?

"Dude! I am so glad to see you right now!"

Phoenix blinked and a groan threatened to come out of his mouth. "…Larry?"

Sure enough, it was his trouble-making friend. The way Larry grinned as he still held onto Phoenix in a death grab, the attorney didn't know whether he should be relieved or down right angry at him. There came a yelling in the distance, and the judge came running over and smacked Larry upside the head with the dull end of his lance.

"Die, filthy creature!" The judge yelled, looking like he was ready to actually kill Larry.

Phoenix immediately stood up. "W-Wait, Your Honor! We know this man!"

"We do?" The judge squinted over at Larry, who was on the ground rubbing his head. "Ah…I remember him now. Wait…wasn't he accused of murder some time ago?!"

"Yes, but then YOU found him not guilty."

"…Oh."

The judge lowered his weapon, much to Larry's relief. He sighed and got up onto his feet, then raised an eyebrow at everyone else in the camp. "Bro, what up with the weird costumes and all that?"

"You're one to talk, Larry." Phoenix muttered, indicating to his friend. He was wearing a sleeveless orange tunic, and brown shorts with leather padding on his chest and a quiver strapped onto him. "Anyways, you got here too?"

"Yeah, man! It's so weird too. I mean…I walk into the kitchen, and a second later I fall into a grassy field. You wouldn't know how long I've been wandering around lost! I thought I was dead or something, but then I saw a small fire, and then I found you!"

"You…wouldn't have happened to see Maya or Pearls, have you?"

Larry shook his head. "Nope, didn't see em. Why, are they here too?"

"We got separated when we came here." Trucy answered sadly.

"…Er, sorry. I didn't think they'd be here…I didn't think you'd be here either."

"Well, we are." Phoenix sighed exasperatedly. "Though we really don't know how or why. That's what we were going to figure out tomorrow."

"Ah, well…if anyone can figure this out, it would be you of course, Nick. Uh…say, you wouldn't happen to be…needing an archer, do you? Because I found out I can fire arrows pretty accurately, and…"

"That's what Hugh is!" Robin motioned towards her friend, whom arrogantly showed off his bow and arrows.

Larry just felt like he had been kicked in the gut. "O-Oh…o-okay, then…" The man sulked as he turned away to leave. "Since you don't need me, I guess I'll just be going then…alone…"

Trucy and Phoenix smirked at each other before Phoenix called out, "Larry, you can stay with us if you want to."

This got Larry into running right back to them, his face bright with happiness. "Really? Thanks, Nick! And since I'm here, there's something I had to tell you…but I can't quite remember what it was…"

As Larry began to think about what he wanted to say, there came another rustling from the bushes. This was different from the one Larry made; it was louder, and sounded like it was coming from all sorts of directions.

"Larry, did you bring friends?" Phoenix asked, a little concerned.

His friend narrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "No. I'm certain it was just me here…oh wait…" Larry's face dropped into a horrified and guilty expression. "I remembered what I wanted to tell you now…"

In that very moment, a huge group of people jumped out from behind the bushes, hollering and drawing their weapons as they sprinted towards them. They were definitely humans, but with the way they ran at them so menacingly, they were probably a gang of rogues and bandits. The group scrambled to their feet as they hastily picked up their weapons and tried vainly to get into a formidable position.

"I meant to tell you I'm being chased!"

"What?!" Phoenix hollered, jumping out of the way of an arrow.

"Yeah…when I woke up there were these strange men towering over me. They were yelling 'give us your money!' and so I told them 'I have no money!' and then I ran off when they pointed axes in my face."

"And you thought it was a good idea to lead them all the way back to our camp?!" Apollo shouted as he and Athena jumped onto their horses.

Larry looked guilty. "I…I didn't know…"

"Forget about it." Phoenix glared at one of the rogues. "What do you want from us?"

"Same thing we wanted from this man." He spat. "Give us everything you've got, and we'll consider letting you go."

"We don't have anything to give you!" Athena hollered.

"Then we'll just take your life!" The bandit, presumably the leader of the group, whistled loudly to his cronies. "Listen up, men! Kill 'em all, but keep the women. They could fetch us a great reward…Hehehe…"

Trucy screamed as she ran behind her father for protection. Phoenix's blood was boiling when he heard what these horrible group of men wanted to do to his daughter. His hands trembled with a silent rage and he suddenly had an urge to hurt all of them dearly for threatening them. One bandit was even daring enough to approach them menacingly, his axe ready to strike.

"Stay away from my daughter." Phoenix warned him with a slight growl in his voice.

The bandit merely ignored him and let out a battle yell as he brought his axe down. Phoenix was quick to react and blocked the attack. Fatherly instinct fueled his strength and he found himself pushing back against the force of the other man's axe. Trucy could only watch, her mind too full of anxiety to do anything. Suddenly, she noticed an archer was aiming his arrow right at Phoenix, about ready to shoot.

"No!" Trucy stuck her hand out in the air, which sent a huge ball of flame hurtling towards the archer. The man was immediately engulfed in the fire, and he screamed as the searing hot flames burned off his clothes and scorched his body. Soon, his writhing ceased and he fell to the ground, dead. The man fighting Phoenix was easily distracted by the scene, and when he let his guard down for a few seconds, Phoenix retracted his blade and stabbed the man in the heart. The bandit gurgled on his own blood as he too fell down lifeless onto the ground. At that moment, Phoenix's mind registered what had just happened, and he turned to Trucy with a horrified expression on his face. He had just killed a man.

* * *

**PX: Sorry for the wait...and the boring chapter. But glad to see that everyone's excited for this story :D I promise, there will be more action in the next chapter. Thanks everyone for the support. I really appreciate it.**


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